Driverless cars’ legal hitch

01st December 2006

The technology is ready for cars which drive themselves, but there's just one thing keeping them in neutral - lawyers!

That's the amazing claim from VW, which showed off an optional self-parking system on the revised Touran this week. The MPV can scan a space to see if it's big enough, then reverse in automatically.

VW has admitted designers are working on other uses for the innovation. These could include overtaking by judging when to move out, how much throttle to use and when it's safe to pull back in. But the sticking point concerns who is controlling the car and who'd be liable in a smash. A spokesman told us: "It is the element of responsibility that we have to consider very carefully."

That's the reason why the Touran will only go backwards into a space. To straighten up, you have to move forwards yourself. "Technically it's possible, but the lawyers didn't want the car moving forward," he added.

VW is already working on driverless vehicles. It's previewed the GTI 53+1 research car, which can speed round a circuit and was involved in last year's DARPA Challenge for robotic models.